The following U.S. Pat. Nos. represent the prior art most pertinent to the present invention: 1,050,490, 1,933,973, 2,051,762, 2,200,935, 3,288,251, 3,385,608, 4,043,566.
The prior art is replete with braking devices for personal wheeled vehicles, such as skateboards, skates, scooters, and the like. One common form of braking device includes a brake shoe which is adapted to selectively engage at least one of the wheels of the vehicle. Generally speaking, these devices include a plunger or pedal extending through the base member of the vehicle, so that the rider may engage the brake shoe with the wheel by means of force applied to the plunger. Although these devices are effective in slowing the vehicle, they have also exhibited significant defects. If sufficient frictional force is exerted on the wheels, they may lock and skid along the supporting pavement. The rider may lose control of the vehicle and suffer an accident. On the other hand, the frictional engagement of the brake shoe with the wheels may be impaired by moisture or dirt on the supporting pavement, thus reducing the braking effect to the point where the brakes become ineffective.
Other forms of braking devices provide braking members which frictionally engage the supporting pavement surface. These devices are also actuated by a pedal or plunger which is adapted to be depressed by the weight of the vehicle rider. A critical factor in the functioning of these devices is their placement with respect to the center of gravity of the vehicle, and the extent to which the braking member engages the pavement surface. For example, if the braking member is forward of the center of gravity of the vehicle, it may easily destabilize the vehicle when pressure is applied to frictionally engage the pavement. This action may cause loss of control of the vehicle. Also, it may be appreciated that if sufficient force is applied to the ground engaging member, the wheels of the vehicle correspondingly lose their traction effect on the pavement surface. Thus, in a situation requiring severe braking action, the wheels may become unweighted and the directional control of the vehicle may be lost. This is a potentially dangerous situation, and may easily result in injury to the vehicle rider.